Jumanah Imad Albahri defends herself

I attended the event as an individual, not as a representative of any organization, least of all the MSA. My presence was solidly founded in my academic and personal quests to hear diverse viewpoints. Unfortunately, Mr. Horowitz is a seasoned polemicist whose intent is not to encourage academic discussion by expounding his arguments or even supporting his positions with hard facts, but to excite the passions of an audience. Mr. Horowitz spent an hour indiscriminately attacking liberals, students, Arabs, Muslims, and Palestinians, utilizing verbiage that completely departed from an academic tone and delved into hate speech—especially labeling groups and individuals that support Palestinian rights “terrorists.”

Insofar as my references to Hitler and the Nazi Youth programs: it was Mr. Horowitz who spent a substantial amount of time referring to the MSA as the “Hitler Youth” and its Justice in Palestine Week as “Hitler Youth Week”— pejorative titles that as a human being, a student of history, and a person of faith, I find disgusting. I uttered them in a sarcastic manner only to point out the ridiculous and slanderous nature of Mr. Horowitz’s labels—Nazis sought the extermination of anyone who was not “white,” and this racial category excludes the vast majority of the Muslim population.

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Towards the end of the exchange, I became emotional. I could no longer hear Mr. Horowitz speaking and so did not even hear his injection of Hezbollah’s credo of “rounding up” Jews in his last tangent. I could no longer contain my anger at being implicitly and improperly labeled a terrorist, an anti-Semite, and a proponent of genocide. The answer I was coerced into giving grossly misrepresented my beliefs and ideologies.

My answer, “for it,” in the context in which it was said does NOT mean “for” genocide. I was referring to his initial question that asked me for my position on Hamas, a topic that for his own political reasons he was relentless in pursuing. “For it” was not a legitimization of Hezbollah’s or anyone else’s credo for that matter that Jews should be exterminated. In fact, Mr. Horowitz’s intent was to entrap me with his barrage of questions so that he could avoid answering my question, and construe any answer that I would provide as anti-Semitic, genocidal hate speech in order to further his political agenda.

I am not a member of Hamas, nor have I ever given support to Hamas, nor do I agree their actions or stances wholesale, but I refused to offer Mr. Horowitz a blanket condemnation of Hamas that night. I felt that doing so would be a blanket condemnation of the Palestinian cause. I refused to throw the baby (the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people) out with the bathwater (Hamas.) In addition, Mr. Horowitz asked me to condemn Hamas as a genocidal organization; which to my limited knowledge on the subject, is another unsupported claim made by Mr. Horowitz.

Does this in any way change your view of what was seen in the Horowitz video?

Don't buy a word. She brought up the MSA and it's relationship to Hezbola and Hamas, She brought up her involvement with the "Hitler Youth Week", ahe wore the "Arafat gang colors", identifying her sympathy with that evil, it's all on her. The fact that she was no intellectual or philosophical match for Mr. Horowitz is on her, and no one else. She should have kept seated and silent if she did not expect to be challenged.

Nope. She's either a terrorist herself or a terrorist supporter. Doesn't matter what she writes. Actions speak louder than words, and the fact that she was wearing Arafat colors is an action with a very loud and very clear message.

am not buying it, whatever she says. the organization she represents has had time to reflect on how badly they were portrayed. as with any group who works at control, of its members, media etc, this group is not unlike the radical groups of the 60's. pure thought is not allowed and it wouldn't surprise me to see this female person ejected from the group, for letting Mr. Horowitz get the better of her. although, any person who wishes to debate Mr. Horowitz had better get their homework done and done perfectly, if they think their intellectual capacity is greater than his. this girl was "cannon fodder".

Jumanah, don't start with the whole "victimizing" tactic. It reminds me of the co-dependent alcoholic who says, "You made me hit you. You made me angry."
You said very slowly and deliberately the words, "For it." Nobody conned you into anything. Take responsibility for your actions and stop playing the abuser game. You only make yourself look foolish.

She is a sad girl who has been brainwashed to hate Jews. She thinks that she is in college and gathering facts and data, but she's selected a path she likely does not understand.

86% of women in Egypt said they believed a man is justified in beating his wife for refusing sex or talking back. I hope this sad girl doesn't suffer that fate just because she does not truly understand the wrath of this angry male dominated culture.

I can't (obviously) not comment on her involvement in terror related groups or such. But I do as a viewer of the infamous statement she made, have an opinion.

I feel it is disgusting and the frantic backpeddling or falling into the habituary victime role whenever you are called out simply is not convincing.

You are an adult woman for pete's sakes, and you said something civilized peaceloving people would find vile and dispicable. It is clear the word truth or honesty is just not in Jumanah's vocabulary.

You say things, thats fine. You meant them. So no, nothing you say now will make me change my mind. At he end of the day you decided to walk into that room, sit there and and eventually engage in a dialogue with the guy without being under the influence of any drug. Nobody put a gun to your head. As a muslim, you are disgraceful.